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DIVINE JOURNEYMEN. EPH. 4:11-14. 3/22/20. AM. #15.

Ephesians 4:11-14 [New King James Version (NKJV)]

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

1. The functions of God’s gifts
   1. Paul states that God gave 3 kingdom expansion gift types:
   1. (1) apostles, prophets  (2) evangelists  (pastors and teachers)
   1. REVELATION GIFTS – apostles and prophets were given to the church to reveal God’s plan, the Gospel, church doctrine, church organization, and end times events
      1. The apostles (lit., sent ones on a mission) were the initial evangelists and church planters
      1. Apostles laid the foundation of the church
      1. Some apostles wrote NT Scripture (Matthew, John, Paul, Peter)
      1. Some associates of the apostles also wrote Scripture (Mark, Luke, James, Jude)
      1. Prophets were proclaimers of the Word and at times prophesied as led by the Spirit
   1. HEARKENING GIFTS – after the apostles laid the foundation the gospel was proclaimed by evangelists, missionaries, and church planters (still present today)
   1. DISCIPLING GIFTS – pastors and teachers were given to maintain, grow, and instruct church members
      1. Due to the Greek sentence structure, some teach that pastors and teachers are the same, but they are separate elsewhere
      1. Pastors (shepherds) watch over God’s flock by instructing, admonishing, caring, and equipping
      1. Teachers instruct the flock in God’s Word and way
2. The objectives of gifts
   1. Three goals: (1) equipping  (2) working  (3) edifying
   1. EQUIPPING – lit., “to put things right”
      1. Used in setting a broken bone or mending a net
      1. Used in properly building a structure
      1. To training God’s people to use their gifts and calling to further the kingdom of God
      1. Pastors, elders (1 Tm. 3:2), and teachers are to guide saints in using their gifts to serve God
   1. WORKING – we obtain our word “energy” from this word
      1. Serving God is active, not passive
      1. Everyone is to work in the ministry
   1. EDIFYING THE BODY – to build up the body (encouragement, admonishing, comforting, and fellowship)
      1. HEBREWS 10:19-25 – ministry is not a solitary activity, but teamwork toward 1 goal (1 Chronicles 12)
      1. Hebrews 13:7,17; 1 Thessolonians 5:14 body = self-sustaining
3. The results of the working out of the gifts in the body
   1. Unity of the faith (a united purpose led by Lord)
      1. Strife in the body shows immaturity and infiltration
      1. Philippians 2:3 working together with and for one another
   1. Knowledge of the Son of God
      1. II Peter 3:18 must ever be growing in knowing about the Lord intimately and objectively
      1. Philippians 3:14 none reach full knowledge of Him
   1. Perfection (telios) = maturing of believers
   1. Coming to full stature (metron) or development in Christ
4. Consequences of God’s gifts
   1. No longer children (Hebrew 5)
   1. No longer unstable (James 1:5) – vacillating in walk
   1. No longer succumbing to men’s clever trickery and cunning craftiness (deceitful plotting against Lord)
5. The work of the Lord is purposeful, empowered, and vital

Key verse: 

Hebrews 10:19-25 [New King James Version (NKJV)]

¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

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Ephesians 4:7-9 (New King James Version [NKJV])

⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

⁹ (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

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Ephesians 4:1-6 (New King James Version [NKJV])

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

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Ephesians 3:14-21 New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.